Tourism stands for travelling of people for business, leisure, and personal purposes. Today, tourism has evolved into an industry which is the major (or the only) source of income for the countries all over the world. Tourism has its advantages and disadvantages which are especially obvious in developing countries, such as India. In this article, we will discuss some of the most noticeable advantages of tourism as well as some negative characteristics.
Positive Side of Tourism
For developing countries, this industry, firs of all, means employment, source of income, and foreign investment. In addition, tourism enables cross-cultural experience exchange, improves international relations, facilitates economic growth, and helps people improve their health and broaden their horizons.
1. Job opportunities. In countries like India, tourism is the major industry to provide people with job opportunities. It is growing very fast and means improved employment for thousands of people.
2. Service sector development. This is the sector which benefits the most from tourism. Such services as transport, accommodation, and entertainment have evolved considerably due to tourism.
3. Foreign investment. This includes the investment of both foreign business owners and tourists. Tourist destinations attract millions of tourists from different parts of the world which facilitates foreign exchange earnings.
4. Cross-cultural experience. Tourism is the most effective way to develop cultural harmony and tolerance towards other people. While travelling, tourists discover foreign traditions, learn about values of different nations, communicate, and exchange experience. This fosters respect towards other nations.
Negative Side of Tourism
Surprisingly, there are some disadvantages of tourism. Apart from being costly and time-consuming, tourism is often the reason for increased consumption, waste disposal, and environmental pollution. It also disrupts socio-economic and cultural balance of many countries.
1. Tourists incur considerable expenditures. Hiring vehicles, booking hotel rooms, paying for food, etc. result in huge spending.
2. You have to plan the itinerary, think about the expenditures, get used to new environment and food. Useful as it can be, tourism may also cause considerable stress and lead to anxiety. Sometimes, tourism can affect your health.
3. One of the most drastic effects of tourism is environmental pollution. Tourists like seeing pristine nature but they rarely leave it like that. They overuse natural wealth and disregard the needs of the local inhabitants. Waste and destruction are inevitable consequences of modern-day tourism.
4. Tourism is harmful for local ecology and cultural heritage. When building new resorts, business owners do not pay attention to indigenous architecture, flora, and fauna.
What to do? Green tourism can save the day
People should be more careful when travelling. Destruction leads to the loss of natural and cultural heritage, but these are the two reasons people travel after all. We will only be able to enjoy all the benefits of tourism if we learn how to travel with caution and respect to the local people and nature. It is also mandatory to take care of the culture and traditions of the local people. New technologies and trends can play havoc with unique societies. To avoid imbalance and disruption, local cultures and traditions must be preserved.
